}}{{tnr}}'''Timothy Kaine''' (b. February 26, 1944, in Overland Park, Kansas) is a [[Democratic]] member of the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] from the state of [[Virginia]]. Kaine was first elected to the Senate in [[U.S. Senate elections, 2012|2012]] and is currently serving his first term.<ref name="cnnr">[http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/state/VA/senate ''CNN'' "Virginia Senate Race - 2012 Election Center"]</ref> As of July 2013, he has assumed the position of chairman of the Middle East subcommittee in the Senate.<ref name=”jta”>[http://www.jta.org/2013/07/30/news-opinion/politics/kaine-assumes-middle-east-chairmanship-in-senate ‘’JTA’’ “Virginia’s Kaine assumes chairmanship in Senate,” Accessed August 1, 2013]</ref>

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}}{{tnr}}'''Timothy Kaine''' (b. February 26, 1944, in Overland Park, Kansas) is a [[Democratic]] member of the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] from the state of [[Virginia]]. Kaine was first elected to the Senate in [[U.S. Senate elections, 2012|2012]] and is currently serving his first term.<ref name="cnnr">[http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/state/VA/senate ''CNN'' "Virginia Senate Race - 2012 Election Center"]</ref> As of July 2013, he has assumed the position of chairman of the Middle East subcommittee in the Senate.<ref name=”jta”>[http://www.jta.org/2013/07/30/news-opinion/politics/kaine-assumes-middle-east-chairmanship-in-senate ‘’JTA’’ “Virginia’s Kaine assumes chairmanship in Senate,” accessed August 1, 2013]</ref>

Kaine is set to run for re-election in [[Virginia]] in November of 2018.

Kaine is set to run for re-election in [[Virginia]] in November of 2018.

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Prior to his election in the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]] Kaine served as Governor of Virginia from 2005-2010.<ref name=”bio1”>[http://www.biography.com/people/tim-kaine-338982 ‘’Biography.com’’ “Tim Kaine Biography,” Accessed August 1, 2013</ref>

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Prior to his election in the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]] Kaine served as Governor of Virginia from 2005-2010.<ref name=”bio1”>[http://www.biography.com/people/tim-kaine-338982 ‘’Biography.com’’ “Tim Kaine Biography,” accessed August 1, 2013</ref>

{{Support vote}} Kaine voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/43133?s=party#.UkRU1D_TCgQ ''Project Vote Smart,'' "PN 48 - Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

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{{Support vote}} Kaine voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/43133?s=party#.UkRU1D_TCgQ ''Project Vote Smart'', "PN 48 - Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

====Economy====

====Economy====

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=====Farm bill=====

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{{Senate Farm Bill Dem Yes|Name=Kaine}}

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=====2014 Budget=====

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{{Senate Budget 2014 Dem Yes|Name=Kaine}}

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=====No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013=====

=====No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013=====

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{{Support vote}} Kaine voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspended the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/42338?s=party ''Project Vote Smart,'' "HR 325 - To Ensure the Complete and Timely Payment of the Obligations of the United States Government Until May 19, 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

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{{Support vote}} Kaine voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/42338?s=party ''Project Vote Smart'', "HR 325 - To Ensure the Complete and Timely Payment of the Obligations of the United States Government Until May 19, 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

=====Government shutdown=====

=====Government shutdown=====

:: ''See also: [[United States budget debate, 2013]]''

:: ''See also: [[United States budget debate, 2013]]''

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====Immigration====

====Immigration====

=====Mexico-U.S. border=====

=====Mexico-U.S. border=====

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{{Oppose vote}} Kaine voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/45516#.UkRPsD_TCgQ ''Project Vote Smart,'' "S Amdt 1197 - Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

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{{Oppose vote}} Kaine voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/45516#.UkRPsD_TCgQ ''Project Vote Smart'', "S Amdt 1197 - Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

====Social Issues====

====Social Issues====

=====Violence Against Women (2013)=====

=====Violence Against Women (2013)=====

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{{Support vote}} Kaine voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/42501#.UkRXCD_TCgQ ''Project Vote Smart,'' "S 47 - Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

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{{Support vote}} Kaine voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.<ref>[https://votesmart.org/bill/votes/42501#.UkRXCD_TCgQ ''Project Vote Smart'', "S 47 - Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013]</ref>

===Campaign themes===

===Campaign themes===

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* Economy: "Small businesses and their owners remain the innovators and backbone of our economy...find ways to support the entrepreneurs and risk takers."

* Economy: "Small businesses and their owners remain the innovators and backbone of our economy...find ways to support the entrepreneurs and risk takers."

* Energy: "America’s long-term goal should be to expand the use of low-polluting forms of energy."

* Energy: "America’s long-term goal should be to expand the use of low-polluting forms of energy."

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* Healthcare: "I support the Affordable Care Act as a first step to put patients in charge of their health care decisions and put the brakes on runaway health care costs that were crippling patients and businesses."<ref>[http://www.kaineforva.com/issues ''Kaine for Virginia'', "Issues," Accessed October 17, 2012]</ref>

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* Healthcare: "I support the Affordable Care Act as a first step to put patients in charge of their health care decisions and put the brakes on runaway health care costs that were crippling patients and businesses."<ref>[http://www.kaineforva.com/issues ''Kaine for Virginia'', "Issues," accessed October 17, 2012]</ref>

The University of Virginia's Center for Politics published an article called [http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/tilting-the-toss-ups-the-eight-races-that-will-decide-the-senate/ Sabato's Crystal Ball] on March 22, 2012 detailing the 8 races in the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]] in 2012 that would decide the political fate of which party will end up with control in 2013.<ref name="sabato">[http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/tilting-the-toss-ups-the-eight-races-that-will-decide-the-senate/ ''Center for Politics'' "Tilting the Toss Ups – the Eight Races That Will Decide the Senate" Accessed April 9, 2012]</ref> The seat, rated a toss-up, was one that Sabato's Crystal Ball believed was most likely to depend on the outcome of the Presidential election in November is the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]] seat in Virginia.<ref name="sabato"/> According to the article, "outcome of this race will largely be determined by which party claims Virginia’s 13 electoral votes in November."<ref name="sabato"/>

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The University of Virginia's Center for Politics published an article called [http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/tilting-the-toss-ups-the-eight-races-that-will-decide-the-senate/ Sabato's Crystal Ball] on March 22, 2012, detailing the eight races in the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]] in 2012 that would decide the political fate of which party will end up with control in 2013.<ref name="sabato">[http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/tilting-the-toss-ups-the-eight-races-that-will-decide-the-senate/ ''Center for Politics'' "Tilting the Toss Ups – the Eight Races That Will Decide the Senate" accessed April 9, 2012]</ref> The seat, rated a toss-up, was one that Sabato's Crystal Ball believed was most likely to depend on the outcome of the Presidential election in November is the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]] seat in Virginia.<ref name="sabato"/> According to the article, "outcome of this race will largely be determined by which party claims Virginia’s 13 electoral votes in November."<ref name="sabato"/>

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==Lieutenant Governor==

==Lieutenant Governor==

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In 2001, Kaine was elected [[Lieutenant Governor]] of Virginia, serving under Governor [[SunshineReview:Mark Warner|Mark Warner]]. Garnering 50% of the vote, he defeated Republican Jay Katzen (with 48% of the vote). He was inaugurated on January 12 2002. As Lieutenant Governor, he served as President of the [[Virginia State Legislature|Senate of Virginia]].

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In 2001, Kaine was elected [[Lieutenant Governor]] of Virginia, serving under Governor [[Mark Warner|Mark Warner]]. Garnering 50% of the vote, he defeated Republican Jay Katzen (with 48% of the vote). He was inaugurated on January 12, 2002. As Lieutenant Governor, he served as President of the [[Virginia State Legislature|Senate of Virginia]].

[[File:Kaine 2012 donors.PNG|right|375px|thumb|Breakdown of the source of Kaine's campaign funds before the 2012 election.]]

[[File:Kaine 2012 donors.PNG|right|375px|thumb|Breakdown of the source of Kaine's campaign funds before the 2012 election.]]

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Kaine won election to the [[U.S. Senate]] in 2012. During that election cycle, Kaine's campaign committee raised a total of $18,045,722 and spent $17,918,247.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00033177&cycle=2012&newMem=Y ''Open Secrets'' "Kaine 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed August 27, 2013]</ref>

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Kaine won election to the [[U.S. Senate]] in 2012. During that election cycle, Kaine's campaign committee raised a total of $18,045,722 and spent $17,918,247.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00033177&cycle=2012&newMem=Y ''Open Secrets'', "Kaine 2012 Election Cycle," accessed August 27, 2013]</ref>

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by ''GovTrack'', Kaine is a "[[GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking|centrist Democratic follower]]" as of August 1, 2013.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/timothy_kaine/412582 ''Gov Track'' "Tim Kaine," Accessed August 1, 2013]</ref>

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Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by ''GovTrack'', Kaine is a "[[GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking|centrist Democratic follower]]" as of August 1, 2013.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/timothy_kaine/412582 ''GovTrack'', "Tim Kaine," accessed August 1, 2013]</ref>

===Like-minded colleagues===

===Like-minded colleagues===

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The website ''OpenCongress'' tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.<ref>[http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/412582_Timothy_Kaine ''OpenCongress,'' "Rep. Tim Kaine," Accessed August 2, 2013]</ref>

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The website ''OpenCongress'' tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.<ref>[http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/412582_Timothy_Kaine ''OpenCongress'', "Rep. Tim Kaine," accessed August 2, 2013]</ref>

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===Lifetime voting record===

===Lifetime voting record===

::''See also: [[Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives]]''

::''See also: [[Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives]]''

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According to the website ''GovTrack,'' Kaine missed 2 of 94 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 2.1%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of April 2013.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/timothy_kaine/412582 ''GovTrack,'' "Timothy Kaine," Accessed April 11, 2013]</ref>

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According to the website ''GovTrack,'' Kaine missed 2 of 94 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 2.1%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of April 2013.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/timothy_kaine/412582 ''GovTrack'', "Timothy Kaine," accessed April 11, 2013]</ref>

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===Net worth===

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:: ''See also: [[Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives]]''

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====2012====

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Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by ''OpenSecrets.org'', Kaine's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $713,048 to $2,045,000. That averages to '''$1,379,024''', which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senate members in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Kaine ranked as the 59th most wealthy senator in 2012.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00033177&year=2012 ''OpenSecrets'', "Kaine, 2012," accessed January 14, 2014]</ref>

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{{Net worth PIG

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|Collapse=

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|Name =Tim Kaine

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|Political Party =Democratic

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|2011 = 1087007

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|2012 = 1379024

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|Year 3 =

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|Average 3 =

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}}

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====2011====

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Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by ''OpenSecrets.org'', Kaine's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $667,015 and $1,507,000. That averages to $1,087,007, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2011 of $20,795,450.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00033177&year=2011 ''OpenSecrets.org'', "Kaine, (D-Virginia), 2011"]</ref>

===Voting with party===

===Voting with party===

====2013====

====2013====

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==Personal==

==Personal==

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Kaine and his wife Anne have three children together.<ref>[http://www.kaineforva.com/about_tim ''Kaine for Virginia'', "About," Accessed October 17, 2012]</ref>

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Kaine and his wife Anne have three children together.<ref>[http://www.kaineforva.com/about_tim ''Kaine for Virginia'', "About," accessed October 17, 2012]</ref>

Timothy Kaine (b. February 26, 1944, in Overland Park, Kansas) is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from the state of Virginia. Kaine was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and is currently serving his first term.[1] As of July 2013, he has assumed the position of chairman of the Middle East subcommittee in the Senate.[2]

Prior to his election in the Senate Kaine served as Governor of Virginia from 2005-2010.[3]

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Kaine is a more moderate left of center Democratic Party vote. As a result, he may break with the Democratic Party line more than his fellow members.

Biography

Kaine was the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010. He is a member of and the current chairman of the Democratic Party. He is married to former Richmond Juvenile Court Judge Anne Holton, the daughter of A. Linwood Holton Jr., a former Virginia Governor. Kaine and Holton have three children. Following Thomas Jefferson's son-in-law Thomas Mann Randolph Jr., Kaine is the second son-in-law of a Virginia Governor to become governor in his own right. Following his handling in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech Massacre, in May 2007, he was currently the most popular governor in the nation with a 69% approval rating, as well as being one of the most popular Virginia governors in recent history.

After serving his time as Governor, Kaine served as Chair of the Democratic National Committee. In April of 2011, he announced his candidacy to represent Virginia in the Senate in 2012.

The Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Global Narcotics Affairs

The Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues

The Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection, and Peace Corps Chair

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[5] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Kaine's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[6]

John Brennan CIA nomination

Kaine voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[11]

Economy

Farm bill

On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[12] It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in if or when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[13] Kaine joined with 46 other Democraticsenators in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[14][15] The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill.[15] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[16] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts. Kaine voted with the Democratic Party in favor of the bill.[14][15]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Kaine voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[17]

Government shutdown

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funds the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[18] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Kaine voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.[19]

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

Kaine voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[20]

Social Issues

Violence Against Women (2013)

Kaine voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[21]

Campaign themes

2012

According to Kaine's website, some of his campaign themes included:

Economy: "Small businesses and their owners remain the innovators and backbone of our economy...find ways to support the entrepreneurs and risk takers."

Energy: "America’s long-term goal should be to expand the use of low-polluting forms of energy."

Healthcare: "I support the Affordable Care Act as a first step to put patients in charge of their health care decisions and put the brakes on runaway health care costs that were crippling patients and businesses."[22]

The University of Virginia's Center for Politics published an article called Sabato's Crystal Ball on March 22, 2012, detailing the eight races in the Senate in 2012 that would decide the political fate of which party will end up with control in 2013.[24] The seat, rated a toss-up, was one that Sabato's Crystal Ball believed was most likely to depend on the outcome of the Presidential election in November is the Senate seat in Virginia.[24] According to the article, "outcome of this race will largely be determined by which party claims Virginia’s 13 electoral votes in November."[24]

Education and early career

Kaine was born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Mary Kathleen Burns and Albert A. Kaine, a worker and welder. Kaine grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from Rockhurst High School, the University of Missouri–Columbia and Harvard Law School, taking a year-long absence during law school to work with Catholic missionaries in Honduras. Following a career as an attorney in private practice, Kaine was elected to the city council of Richmond, Virginia. He would later be elected mayor of Richmond by the city council, which until 2004 chose the mayor from among its membership. He spent a total of seven years on the city council, including his time as mayor. As mayor, Kaine was credited with helping to create the gun law Project Exile.

Lieutenant Governor

In 2001, Kaine was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, serving under Governor Mark Warner. Garnering 50% of the vote, he defeated Republican Jay Katzen (with 48% of the vote). He was inaugurated on January 12, 2002. As Lieutenant Governor, he served as President of the Senate of Virginia.

2005 Virginia election

In 2005, Kaine ran for and won the seat of Governor of Virginia in the November general election, defeating Republican former Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore by a margin of 52% to 46%; Republican State Senator Russ Potts, who ran as an independent and was considered a long shot, received 2% of the vote. Kaine has said he will look to retain Warner's tax and educational policies, and keep the budget balanced, and soon launched a statewide series of town halls focused on transportation.

An underdog for most of the race, Kaine overtook Kilgore in some polls for the first time in October 2005, and held his lead into the final week before the election, despite a notable barrage of negative advertising against him by the Kilgore campaign. While the previous Democratic Governor, Mark Warner was credited with doing especially well for a Democrat in rural areas of the commonwealth, Kaine's win featured surprising triumphs in traditionally Republican exurbs like Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Prince William County and Loudoun County in Northern Virginia as well as impressive showings in Democratic strongholds like Richmond and Norfolk.

Kaine closely associated himself with popular outgoing Democratic Governor Mark Warner during his campaign, and won his race by a slightly larger margin than Warner. He promised homeowner tax relief, and centrist fiscal leadership but also proposed a large-budget program guaranteeing pre-kindergarten education for any family that wants it. A number of factors, from the sagging poll numbers of President George W. Bush to a public disgust over the death penalty ads run by Kilgore, have also been cited as key to his decisive win.
Kaine was inaugurated in Williamsburg on January 14 2006. This makes Kaine the first Governor since Thomas Jefferson (in 1779) to be inaugurated in Virginia's colonial capital. Virginia's Capitol in Richmond is under renovation, which is expected to be completed in 2007.

Kaine supports smart growth, which proponents say concentrates economic growth. Critics argue it will make the reduction of urban sprawl and highway traffic a priority over economic growth.

Governor of Virginia

As Governor, he was a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association. On January 31, 2006, he gave the Democratic response to President Bush's 2006 State of the Union address. In Democratic response to his response, he decried the Republicans' lack of bipartisanship in Washington, and proclaimed, "There is a better way." He condemned Bush's spending and tax cuts as "reckless."

Despite his personal opposition to capital punishment, he has so far overseen three executions as governor as of August 2006. He has, however, spoken in favor of declaring a moratorium on the death penalty "until it's fair."

In March of 2006, after the General Assembly failed to create a budget, Governor Kaine called for a special session that didn't end until June. The debate was over Transportation issues and how to fund current and new projects. Most of the debate came from a battle within the Republican controlled Senate and House of Delegates. In 2007, Kaine signed into law a transportation funding and planning plan designed and shepherded through the General Assembly by the Republican Speaker of the House, William Howell.

On May 23, 2007, the Roanoke Times and other Virginia newspapers reported that the Kaine Administration ran a $300 million budget deficit. Kaine reportedly instructed agency heads to reduce spending.

In June 2006, Kaine signed an executive order banning smoking in all government buildings and state-owned cars. He also announced that Virginia will be the first state in the Union to digitize records from the Civil War Era Freedman's Bureau. This will open up research in African-American history after the Civil War.

In the 2006 elections, Kaine supported Democratic Senate Candidate Jim Webb. Kaine also opposed an amendment to the Virginia Constitution that would define marriage as that between one man and one woman, though he has publicly stated that he personally opposes same-sex marriage.

Kaine has given his support for the mandatory vaccinating of 6th grade girls in Virginia with the HPV vaccine and has recently signed a bill to that effect. He has dismissed all criticism, saying that the bill should resolve all of the concerns.

Virginia Tech massacre

When news of the Virginia Tech Massacre broke, Kaine aborted a trade mission to Japan and India to attend to the situation. In a convocation speech after he returned, Kaine said he would appoint a panel of independent law enforcement officials to examine what the university knew about Cho and how it dealt with his rampage, which killed 32 students and faculty. The commission led by a former state police chief and former governor and homeland security secretary Tom Ridge began work on April 28th. On April 30, Governor Kaine signed an executive order instructing state agencies to step up efforts to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment centers.[1] Appearing alongside Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R), Kaine said the order will help prevent people like the shooter from legally obtaining firearms in the future.

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Kaine is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Kaine raised a total of $18,045,722 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 25, 2013.[25]

Tim Kaine's Campaign Contribution History

Year

Office

Result

Contributions

2012

U.S. Senate (Virginia)

$18,045,722

Grand Total Raised

$18,045,722

2012

Breakdown of the source of Kaine's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Kaine won election to the U.S. Senate in 2012. During that election cycle, Kaine's campaign committee raised a total of $18,045,722 and spent $17,918,247.[26]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Kaine missed 2 of 94 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 2.1%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of April 2013.[29]

Net worth

2012

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Kaine's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $713,048 to $2,045,000. That averages to $1,379,024, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senate members in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Kaine ranked as the 59th most wealthy senator in 2012.[30]

Tim Kaine Yearly Net Worth

Year

Average Net Worth

2012

$1,379,024

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Voting with party

2013

Tim Kaine voted with the Democratic Party 91.7% of the time, which ranked 40 among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2013.[31]